Category Archives: Fantasy Football

I don’t know what it is, but whenever any of my teams face a crushing defeat, I wake up the next morning with a headache. But wait, how can this be when the Ravens convincingly beat the reigning World Champion Saints yesterday? Well, I’m talking about my other team – the one that doesn’t really exist… Yup, I’m crossing over into forbidden territory and talking about my personal fantasy team. I understand that nobody really cares about my team except for me, but I figured it’d be nice to get this off my chest as a form of rehabilitation. Come on, after 4-5 months of hard work to lose by 1.4 points in the semi’s is too much for a man to handle alone. If you’re at all interested, you can find my pain and sorrow after the jump… Continue reading →

Geez, I don’t know why (or maybe I do), but this fantasy playoff season is inducing quite a bit of stress in my life. It’s just a game, right? Then why do I constantly consider all of my options, playing out all the different possibilities? Should I start Malcom Floyd or Vincent Jackson… or both? Do I trust Kenny Britt and/or the Texans secondary? Will Jamaal Charles show up next week? I’m starting to second guess all of my gut instincts, which can be a recipe for disaster… It’s only Tuesday, but already my racing mind and uber-competitive spirit are starting to get very familiar with each other. I might not survive the week.

So why all the stress and second-guessing? In all of my fantasy football leagues, I’m playing in the semi-finals, matched-up against the #1 team. Sure, that’s quite a bit of constant success between leagues, but guess how I got there? Aaron Rodgers. Yup, I had Rodgers in every one of my fantasy leagues, and he’s been the anchor almost every week. With him possibly out this week with a concussion and the prospect of playing a highly underrated New England defense, I might have to start looking at other QB options. Would it be embarrassing to admit I’m thinking about starting Garrard, Kitna, or Collins? See why I’m stressing? Wish me luck…

This week is going to be my last DEEP SLEEP pick for the 2010 fantasy season. After week 14, there’s really no way to check sleepers’ value since every week is most likely an elimination week and DEEP SLEEP’s were never meant to be just a plug-and-play type pick-up. Anyway, as usual, let’s go back to the past picks:

Brian Westbrook – Ouch, talk about a poor performance. After scoring 19.6 points the week before, he put up 3.1 this last weekend. But come on, were you really thinking about starting him against Green Bay? Expect bigger things against Seattle in week 14, but he’s still nothing more than a high-flex or low-RB2 option with Anthony Dixon taking some of those precious carries.

Keiland Williams – By far the biggest DEEP SLEEP bust of the season. I had my inhibitions to put him on the list, and from his last couple weeks, I should have stuck with my gut feelings. I just figured with Portis out for sure, Williams would thrive, but how wrong I was. The Redskins’ offense is nothing more than a good match-up for fantasy D/STs.

Pierre Thomas – Looks like week 14 should be the week he makes his come back. Considering how well Chris Ivory has been doing in his stead, there’s 2 ways this can go: Either Thomas will excel back in his old role or he will have to end up sharing his reps with Ivory. If you’re in the playoffs for week 14, I’d look for a safer play before unleashing Thomas on your opponent.

Shaun Hill – Doesn’t look like he’ll be back in week 14 from injury. When he’s healthy, he puts up good numbers.

Sidney Rice – Is 105 yards and 2 TDs considered enough? Finally Rice showed up in his breakthrough game of the 2010 season. I’m not benching him throughout the fantasy playoffs, especially after seeing his 2 TD catches last week. Ridiculous.

Jacob Tamme – Sure, a little less than normal, but I would still take Tamme as my TE over any other TE in fantasy, except, of course, Antonio Gates.

This isn’t your traditional NFL column. Here are my personal views on this last weekend:

Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ve – But didn’t. That’s the story of the Ravens loss to the Steelers last night. And as I’m still reeling from the loss, possibly the most painful piece of the entire thing is the fact that the Ravens should have won. I know, I’m a bitter Ravens fan, but if you watched the whole game, you probably saw the same thing I did: a dominating performance by the Ravens (despite frequent penalties), upset at the last second by a gritty Steelers team. Besides some inexplicable offensive stalls by the Ravens (Cam Cameron?), the Steelers were out-played in every phase of the game, including special teams. Yet, Flacco, the better of the 2 QBs last night, failed to recognize a blitz and protect the ball, while Roethlisberger successfully did both only a couple plays later, and that made all the difference. After a decade of an opportunistic Baltimore defense, this time the Steelers filled those shoes. Kudos to the Steelers for making the big play when it mattered most.

Here’s a rather depressing recap of last week’s performances by my DEEP SLEEP picks:

Keiland Williams – Mike Shanahan strikes again. Somehow Williams was given less work than James Davis as the Redskins lost to the pitiful Vikings. Sigh, I had a feeling Williams would feel the wrath of Shanahan, but I thought with Portis and Torain out, he would at least see some light.

Pierre Thomas – Good news! He might start playing a little this week, and from the sounds of it, he should be ready to go come week 14, which is fantasy playoff season. Let’s see how his numbers look if/when he plays this week. Make sure you check his practice reports if you’re planning on starting him.

Shaun Hill – After weeks of good numbers, Shaun Hill once again fell to the injury bug. He isn’t practicing this week as Drew Stanton takes his place with the first team reps. If you’re looking for a good replacement, I’d take Cassel or Fitzpatrick.

Sidney Rice – After being targeted a team-high 10 times the week before, Rice underperformed this week with 1 catch for 20 yards. Ouch. I hope this isn’t an omen for things to come, but having a stat-line like that can’t be too reassuring. I’d keep an eye on him, though.

Jacob Tamme – My pride and joy. Tamme never lets me down. He scored another TD, even with Manning’s poor play, and racked up 64 yards. Since he became the starter, he’s averaging more fantasy points per week than even Dallas Clark did.

Pierre Thomas – Still not back from injury, but he’s finally off the crutches and practiced some last week and this week. I actually wouldn’t be too surprised if we saw him take a few carries on Thanksgiving Day against the Cowboys. Can’t wait to see some goal-line plunges.

Shaun Hill – He’s still available in most leagues, and I suggest you pick him up if you’re lacking consistency at the QB position. Look at how often Detroit throws the ball! With Hill throwing 50 times a game, he’s bound to give you 200-300 yards and 2 TDs every week. Last week he had 289 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT. Who would’ve guessed? (Me, duh.)

Sidney Rice – Finally Rice took the field and performed decently in a game in which the Vikings were totally blown-out. I fear the inconsistency of Favre, but Rice was targeted a healthy 10 times and should start to produce even better numbers as he gets back into rhythm. He accumulated 56 yards last week, but I expect him to put up even more points next week against the Redskins.

Jacob Tamme – Another 60 yards receiving last week. Ho-hum. Note that he was also targeted in the endzone, but was unable to make the catch. He’s everybody’s TE-dream come true, including Peyton’s.

Shaun Hill – In his first week back, even with an injured left forearm, he threw for 323 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and rushed for an entire yard. His QB rating wasn’t through the roof and his 2 point conversion attempt was pathetic, but for fantasy-purposes, he more than got the job done. Especially with the over-rated (and they’re not even rated that high), but fun to watch, Lions defense on his side, expect Hill to be throwing a lot to get his team back into games.

Sidney Rice – Why do you tease us, Sidney? We all want you to play and start putting up consistent numbers! We still have to wait for him to come off the PUP list (should be this week, if ever), and from there, we’ll see if he and Favre still have last year’s intimate connection.

Jacob Tamme – On a strange day where Peyton Manning threw 0 touchdowns, Jacob Tamme doubled any WR’s yards (including Wayne and Garcon) with his 7 catches. I don’t think he’s slowing down anytime soon, even with his minor back injury.